Portable scaffold.



W. H. TREW. PORTABLE SOAFPOLD. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1911v Patented. Nov; 5, L912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

$1412 c 11101 William H .Trew

W. H. TEBW.

PORTABLE SCAFFOLD. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1911.

LQQSJ'YZQ Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2v W v [m I v a m k I e, Te ti ry p u t r urn d lated PORTABLE SCAFFOLD.

idiot-Edda Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 53, ilFdQZ.

Application filed September 15, 1911. Serial No. 649,535.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1', WILLI M H. Tnnw, citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewater, in the county of Jefferson and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Scail'olds; and I. do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a-ppertains to make and use the some.

This invention relates to improvements n portable scaffolds, and more particularly in the construction of the ladders forming a part ihGI'GOI.

One object of the invention is to provide a scafiold having its supporting members in the form or" extension ladders which, when not in use for forming a. scaffold may be employed as ordinary ladders or as step-ladders.

Another object is to provide a scaffold of this character which will be simple, strong and durabie in construction,efiicient and reliable in operation and which is particularly adapted for use in pickingttruit.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement or parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

Briefly stated, the invention primarily consists oi a ladder for the purpose described, having a cent 'all y disposed strengthening bar the detachable interlocking complemented abutting ends of which are notched, inclined and pointed, said ends be- -ing held in proper alinement with the oppositely disposed slidably attached members of the ladder by rungs which are located adjacent to said interlocking ends of the bars thus constructed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 a perspectiveview of my improved scaffold anged in position for use; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of one ot' the end supporting members of the scaffold; showingmore clearly the manner in which. the central bars 12 of the sections of the members are joined; Fig. 3 is a perspective view oi the lower end of the upper section of one. of said end members; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the upper end of the lower section of one of said members; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lower side of the platform supported .by the end members of the scaffold showing more clearly the means whereby the ends of the plat-form are connected with the sections of the supporting members; Fig. 6 of the adjustable supporting platforms which are provided to support a. bucket or other object employed in connection with the scaffold.

My improved scaffold comprises end supporting members in the form of extension ladders 1 each of which consists of a lower section 2 and an upper section 3. The lower sections 2 comprise side bars a the lower ends of which are preferably curved or flared outwardly as shown at 5 thereby forming a firmer support for the lower end of the lad ders. The side bars i are connected together by a series of rungs 6 which are spaced the usual distance apart. In. addition to the side bars el the sections of the ladder are also provided with centrally disposed bars '2' through which the rungs 6 pass. The centrally disposed bars 7 form braces and additional strengthening devices for the ladder.

The upper section 3 of the ladder eomprises side bars 8 the upper ends of which are curved or bent inwardly and are brought together as shown at 9 to form pointed upper ends on the sections 3016 the ladder. The lower ends of the side bars 8 are adapted to engage sockets or keepers 10 secured to the upper ends of the side bars 4 of the lower ladder sections whereby said upper sections of the ladder are held in engagement with the lower sections.- The side bars 8 of the upper sections of the ladder are connected together by rungs 11 and said upper sections are also provided with centrally disposed bars 12 through which the rungs 11 are passed as shown. The meeting ends of the central bars 12 of the upper ladder sections and the central bars 7 of the lower ladder sections are notched to form interlocking angularly formed abutting ends 13 whereby when the ladder sections are assembled and the meeting ends of the bars (3 and 12 are broughttogcther an interlocking joint is formed between said ends which .t'ectually prevent any lateral or longitudinal movement or disengagement of the ladder sections and will relieve the sockets or keep ers 10 of a greatamount of strain, said keepers holding the sections against transverse movement relative to each other and being used in connection with the interlocking is a similar view of one will efend members of the scaffold. The brace abutting ends of the central bars avoids the necessity of using connecting bolts for the sections. The sections when-united as shown and-described may be quickly connected and e disconnected and without the. use of tools and yet reliably held in engagement when in operative position. It is obvious that to disconnect the sections it is necessary only to move one of them longitudinally relatively to the other to disengage the ends of the side bars of one member from the keepers on the side bars of the other member.

The complemented abutting interlocking ends 13 of the centrally disposed bars are 15 notched, inclined and pointed, and the rungs 6 are positioned in such a manner that one rung of one section is arranged'through the bar within the inclined portion thereof whereby its reduced end is rendered rigid. The interlocking reduced end of the bar of the other section, however, is not strengthened by arung, and therefore 'is' permitted to yield along its lengthwhereby, when the sections are united and the fiat edges of the reduced ends of said bars are in contact, any lateral spring of the ladder will not injure or release the sections Arranged at suitable positions on the, opposite sides :of the central bars 6 and 12 of the ladder sections are eyes 1 1 with which are adapted-to be-engaged'geyes 15 on the upper ends'of inclined brace bars 16 the lower ends of which are engaged with the and thereby firmly brace and support the bars 16 are preferably provided on their outer ends with metal. points or spikeslfi which; are adapted to be forced into the bars. By providing a plurality of eyes 14 oneor more pairs of brace bars of different length may be connected .Wi h' the end sections or ladders of'the scaffold whereby the ladder is. firmly supported. Slidably en gagedqwi'ththe lower'end of one of the side bars'2 of each of the lower ladder sections is a channel iron-extensionbar 17 said bar having formed therein'a longitudinally disposed slot 18 with which and the adjacent portion of the bar 21s adapted to be engaged a clamping screw 19 whereby the. bar 18 is securely fastened in'its adjusted position thus providing means for supporting the ladder sections in a vertieaLor perpendicular osition on uneven surfaces as will be readi y understood.

Adapted to be engaged with and sup- 6 ported by the ladder sections is a platform its ends notched to fit around the central bars 6 or 12 of the ladder sections whereby said ends of the board or platform are adapted to engage and rest on the rungs of the ladder sections. The ends of the board ground or surface on which the scaffold rests I engaged with any of the 'rungs of ground thus firmly fastening the ends of the ing s,

20 said platform comprising a board having are held in position on the rungs of the ladder sections by suitable hooks 21 arranged on the lower side of the ends of the board and adapted to be hookedover the rungsof the ladder sections as shown. The board or platform 20 may be of. any desired length and when the scaffold is employed for pick-- ing 'fruit,is preferably arranged through the central portion of the tree so that the fruit on both sides of the tree may be reached. r In addition to the platform 20 I preferably also provide bucket-supporting plat- H forms 22 in the form of short sections of boards having their inner ends notched to fit around the outer sides of the central bars 12 of the upper ladder sections whereby said I ends of the boards may be'engaged with. the rungs 11 of,said upper laddersections. The notched ends of the boards or platforms g 22 have secured to their under side, hooks 23 which are adapted to be hooked over the run 11 thereby securely fastening the inner ends of the boards to the ladder sections. The .outer ends of the boards 22 are prefer- 9 ably supported by means of cords 24jwhich are secured to suitableeyes or staples arranged in the outer ends of the boards and have secured to their opposite ends hooks 25 which are adapted to be engaged with eyes 26 arranged in the upper ends of the central bars 12 of the'upper ladder sections as shown. By thusconstructing and arranging the platform 22 the same may be the lad-- der' sections and thus adjustably supported at thedesir'edpositibn.

By constructing my improved scaffold as herein shown and described it will be read; i

ily seen that the parts of the same may be; quickly and easily disassembled and the end member employed as extension ladders the sections of which are, adapted' to be readily taken apart and used separately either as ordinary ladders or as step-ladders. By bringing the upper ends of-the side bars of the ladders'together .as herein shown .and described 'said endsmay be readily projected in among the branches of the trees or engaged-with narrow spaces against which the upper ends ofan' ordinary ladder cannot be placed.

' Fromthe foregoing description-taken. in

conn'ectionwith the accompanying drawthe construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation. Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed. Having thus described my inventioii,what

Iclaimis:

K ladder composedeqiidetachably connected sections ea h comprising side bars, a cmirally disposed bar farming; a siiengiheir- 111;; g '1 lnterinckmg ineinbai for each of said sections, said centrally disposed bars having complemented abuiting ends notched, and poinieci i 01 4321 em niv with each other to 110101 'he sect! is in an tended position rungs connecung file oppositev Sid? bars and ceni mll y' disposed bars, one of said sections being arranged through the central bar Within Hie inclined raduced;

ungs of the other poi-him, and one of the k'e ci-mn being passed through the Ceilhfii bar iii, to the inclined. portion theremf, wile; the iiitei'lccg and of one of the bars irigid1y held in mk '70s to the ssi le. L wink iii, of Bile other bar nab t0 "131d, and maans for Cietachzibiy DESSCS,

. mar]: W itnesses Amizm H. finoi m', J0me Qoiammm 

